Detroit Lions special teams coordinator Dave Fipp was more than pleased that the NFL went back to the drawing board and revamped a recent rule change.
For the upcoming season, the league has moved the touchback spot on kickoffs to the 35-yard line to encourage more returns, reversing a 2024 compromise that had placed it at the 30.
The change is expected to increase the return rate from 32.8% last season to as high as 75%, while maintaining the safety improvements from the 2024 redesign, which led to a 43% drop in kickoff concussions.
The prevailing belief among coaches and league officials is that the original kickoff overhaul was successful but required refinement to fulfill its intended purpose.
When speaking with reporters last week, Fipp shared his excitement about the adjustment.
“A year ago, the touchback went at the 30, and I think, as you guys saw at the end of the year, the average drive started at the 29.5 or something like that. So there was no real benefit—if you wanted to be average, there was really no benefit to obviously kicking the ball off and returning it,” Fipp explained. “But this year, if you said the average is the 29.5 and the touchback is the [35], then obviously there’s statistically incentive. Okay, are we returning the ball? Or if you’re on kickoff, they really dictate the play. You will be kicking off and forcing these guys to return it.
“So I’m fired up. It’s going to be great. We’re going to get a ton of plays. I think it’s going to change quite a bit. You just, say, I don’t know, 4-5 kickoffs a game at least—more kickoff returns—that’s 5-10 more plays. And then not only that, but you’re talking your drives start further for your offense or defense. You have a chance to make a significant impact on that drive’s start, which everybody would agree—the league’s been trying to push it out for a reason, because it equals points. So, it’s gonna be great. It’ll be fun.”
With a full season of coaching under the modified kickoff rules now behind him, Fipp said he feels far more confident about the changes than he did initially.
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He knows the nuances of the play now—and expects Detroit to adjust accordingly.
“We’ll play a lot more on the attack, a lot more aggressive, a lot more trying to create negative field position for those guys than kind of playing it conservatively and not give up the big play was a little bit more of our mentality a year ago. Well, we kinda learned more about the play,” Fipp said.
“And then a big part of that, too, was with Jake Bates kicking off. That wasn’t necessarily his strength going into the season. We didn’t want to add a whole lot to his plate, and it was going to be—the kick may change throughout the course of the year. So now we’re saying, ‘Okay, kick it like this. Okay, kick it like that. Okay, kick it like this.’ And then, ‘By the way, hey, let’s do a great job kicking field goals for the first time in the National Football League.’ So maybe not a great formula. So we kinda stayed away from some of that to help him a little bit, to be honest with you. But he was out there today kicking his balls. He looks great doing it, so I’m excited.”
